Stand Up for Your National Monuments

You Can Help Protect Our Rivers

Colorado Trout Unlimited has over 10,000 members representing 23 chapters across the state. They act as advocates and conservators for their home rivers, conducting projects in stream restoration, water quality protection, and more. The on-the-ground, grassroots efforts of our members and volunteers are what sets CTU apart from most other conservation groups.

Legislative Advocacy

Responsible Use

Though perhaps best known for its role in defeating the Two Forks Dam proposal in 1980, Colorado Trout Unlimited’s influence can be seen on hundreds of miles of rivers ranging from Durango to Denver to Fort Collins.

Southern Basins

In the Field

Our blog serves as the news and information hub for the Colorado Trout Unlimited community. The contributions are from and for people with National Trout Unlimited, Colorado Trout Unlimited, and local chapters of Colorado Trout Unlimited. We encourage all members to read and post often!

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Colorado Trout Unlimited is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and the Colorado afilliate of Trout Unlimited recognized by Charity Navigator as a four-star charity. Your donations are 100% tax-deductible. Thank you for your generous support!

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Legislation Advocacy

Sportsmen for the Roan Plateau

A New Lease on Life for the Roan

The Roan Plateau near Rifle, Colorado is one of the state’s true gems – a scenic backcountry area supporting some of Colorado’s best big game habitat and important native trout streams. Remarkably, the native cutthroat trout on the Roan Plateau have a unique local adaptation, the ability to withstand warmer water temperatures than most other cutthroats.

But we’re not across the finish line yet; we need to make sure the BLM embraces the balanced solution negotiated by sportsmen, conservationists and energy companies and adopts the settlement alternative.

The Roan Deserves Common Sense Protection

It’s one of America’s “Best Wild Places”

A hunters’ and anglers’ refuge, the Roan is home to huge herds of Mule Deer and Elk, native trout streams designated as Colorado Outstanding Waters, and one of Colorado’s most biologically diverse areas. The Roan’s exceptional fish and wildlife values led Field & Stream magazine to select it as one of America’s “Best Wild Places”.

It’s the beating heart for wildlife in central western Colorado

As an island of quality habitat in the vast sea of energy development taking place throughout the Piecance basin, the Roan Plateau is a critical part of what was once dubbed Colorado’s “mule deer factory” Without this negotiated settlement, many of the secure areas wildlife need to rear young and maintain strong numbers would be lost.

The Settlement Agreement works for everyone

Under the settlement agreement announced in November 2014, much of the most valuable habitat atop the Plateau saw leases cancelled and refunded, while terms were agreed upon for responsibly developing the remaining leases on Anvil Ridge and at the Roan’s base. This ensures the conservation of sensitive areas like migration corridors and important trout streams while allowing energy companies to access the valuable resources beneath the Roan.

TU and its members continue to work on-the-ground to help protect and enhance the Roan. In 2015, we anticipate partnering with Colorado Parks and Wildlife as they reintroduce native cutthroat upstream of a fish barrier that TU built on the East Fork of Parachute Creek, as well as continuing to help with noxious weed removal in key riparian areas.

Over the past 50 years, TU has earned a reputation for balanced advocacy based on sound science and successful restoration projects built with the sweat equity of a hundred thousand volunteers. Protecting and restoring the places we fish and hunt is why we exist as an organization. In the case of the Roan, now more than ever, it looks like our efforts can succeed.

Join CTU

Colorado TU has 10,000+ members in 24 chapters across the state. They are the lifeblood of the organization, the reason we can say that Colorado TU is the state’s largest grassroots conservation organization.